annual enrollment

welcome to the 2021 annual benefits enrollment website!

what is annual benefits enrollment?

the annual benefits enrollment period is a once per year opportunity for eligible employees to enroll in, make changes to, or opt-out of most benefit plans for the upcoming calendar year. this is the only time you are eligible to make changes unless you have a qualifying life event, such as a family or employment change.

for 2021, annual enrollment runs from monday, october 19 through monday, november 2 and changes made during this period will be effective january 1, 2021.

annual enrollment for 2021 is passive meaning you do not have to take action unless you would like to newly enroll in benefits (provided you meet eligibility requirements), make changes to your benefits, or opt-out of benefits. the only exception is for 2021 fsa enrollment(s) which require an active election per irs regulations. in other words, if you are not newly enrolling, making changes, opting out, or electing fsa, your 2020 benefits will automatically roll-over into 2021 and no action is required.

take advantage of the following education opportunties

read the 2021 employee benefit guide
listen to the recorded benefit presentation
review the annual enrollment powerpoint slides
sign up for a 10-minute slot at one of our virtual annual enrollment open houses
- click to sign up: monday, october 26 from 8a to 10a
- click to sign up: tuesday, october 27 from 4:00p to 6:00p
for appointments longer than 10 minutes, please reach out to deanna sullivan at dsullivan@wittenberg.edu to schedule a private appointment.
see links to the annual enrollment documents, forms, and reference guides at the bottom of this webpage

and for our medicare eligible, or soon to be medicare eligible, employees we invite you to join us for either an on-campus or virtual Medicare Information meeting hosted by Colleen Corrigan with Wallace & Turner.

on-campus medicare meeting
- click to sign up: wednesday, october 28 from 10a to 12 noon in shouvlin, 201. masks and social distancing are required.
virtual medicare meeting
- click to sign up: wednesday, october 28 from 2p to 3:30p. a link to the virtual meeting will be sent to your wittenberg email prior to the meeting.
be sure to see the important medicare information at the bottom of this webpage

benefit offerings for 2021

we are pleased to share that there will be no plan design changes or premium increase to the anthem healthcare plan and only minimal (positive!) changes to other plans for the 2021 plan year. please review the lists below for what is staying the same and what is changing.

what's staying the same?

medical plan design - no changes
medical premiums for employees - no changes
dental plan design - no changes
vision plan design - no changes
vision premiums - no changes
supplemental/voluntary life insurance(s) - no changes

what's changing?

the monthly premium for dental is being reduced
the employer contribution to the hsa's will be made monthly instead of quarterly
the fsa reimbursement options will be debit card and direct deposit; the cumbersome check option will be removed
the fsa carry-over limit will increase $550
the hsa maximum contribution limits have been adjusted for inflation by the irs

what benefits are offered?

a summary of benefit offerings for 2021 is listed below. see the 2021 employee benefit guide for additional details on each offering.

medical insurance

wittenberg university offers a high deductible health plan (hdhp) with health savings account (hsa) through anthem. to access the highest level of coverage you should use in-network providers whenever possible. you may see any licensed provider, however, non-network providers will be covered at a lower level. please see the full hdhp benefit summary for details. see the 2021 rate sheet for monthly medical premiums.

health savings account (hsa)

a health savings account (hsa) is a bank account in your name which both you and wittenberg university can deposit funds on a tax-free basis if you are enrolled in the high deductible health plan (hdhp). please see the complete information regarding an hsa at www.irs.gov for possible exclusions and limitations of eligibility. you can use the funds in your hsa to help pay your medical deductible and prescription co-pays, plus other eligible medical, dental, and vision expenses. any funds in the account that you do not spend will roll over into the next year and remain available to you. the hsa is your bank account and should you leave wittenberg university, you may take the account with you for use on future qualified healthcare expenses. the hsa is administered by chard snyder. see the chard snyder hsa flyer for additional details.

dental insurance

wittenberg university offers dental coverage to eligible employees through superior dental care, inc. you may see any dental provider you wish but will have the highest level of coverage when you use an in-network provider. the dental plan offers a wide network of providers and offers coverage for routine preventive visits, basic and major services. please see the full dental benefit summary for details. the dental premiums have decreased for 2021! see the 2021 rate sheet for monthly dental premiums.

vision insurance

wittenberg university also provides you with the option to enroll in our vision plan through anthem blue view vision. the vision plan includes benefits for eye exams, eye glasses and contracts, as well as discounts on various lens enhancements. please see the full vision benefit summary for details. see the 2021 rate sheet for monthly vision premiums.

Flexible Spending & Dependent Care Accounts

eligible employees have the opportunity to enroll in a flexible spending account (fsa), limited flexible spending account (lmt), and/or dependent care spending account (dca) through chard snyder. these accounts allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars to cover qualified healthcare, vision, dental, or dependent care expenses. participants pay no federal or state income taxes on the money placed in an fsa, lmt, or dca. as you incur eligible expenses, use your chard snyder debit card to pay at the point of service or submit the appropriate paperwork to be reimbursed by your account. up to $550 of fsa or lmt dollars can be carried over into the next year. the dca does not allow for a carry over of funds and funds not used will be forfeited. see the chard snyder fsa flyer for additional details.

voluntary/supplemental life insurance(s)

employees have the option to apply for an purchase additional voluntary life insurance(s) during this annual enrollment period. voluntary life premiums are 100% employee paid through payroll deductions. premiums are at a group rate and based on your age. the employee must elect voluntary coverage on their own life in order to elect voluntary coverage for their spouse and/or child(ren). the option to purchase coverage for the employee is in 10k increments, for the spouse in 5k increments, and for children a flat 10k. statement of health (soh) may be required. see the 2021 rate sheet for monthly supplemental life premiums.

what are my next steps?

employees making no changes: your current medical, dental, vision, hsa, and supplemental life insurance coverages (as applicable) will automatically roll over into 2021.

active enrollment is not required if you are not making changes
The only exception is for Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Limited Flexible Spending Account (LMT), or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCA) elections. An active election must be made each year per IRS regulations. Current FSA, LMT, or DCA participants wishing to re-enroll must complete a new FSA Enrollment & Contribution form for 2021. complete the FSA Enrollment & Contribution form to enroll or re-enroll in a flexible spending account.

employees wishing to newly enroll in any coverage: (such as adding coverage(s) or enrolling/re-enrolling in a flexible spending account)

complete the annual enrollment: enroll/change/term form indicating your 2021 elections & submit to HR by 11/2/2020.
if electing medical coverage, you must also complete the HSA Enrollment & Contribution form and the HSA Advantage Terms & Conditions agreement.
if enrolling a spouse in medical coverage, you must also complete the spousal evidence of eligibility and affidavit from spouse's employer forms.
if not electing medical coverage and you wish to re-enroll or newly enroll in a healthcare flexible spending account (fsa) or limited flexible spending account (lmt) complete the FSA Enrollment & Contribution form.
all benefit eligible employees can re-enroll or newly enroll in the dependent care spending account (dca) regardless of medical coverage. to enroll/re-enroll in the dca, complete the FSA Enrollment & Contribution form.

employees wishing to make changes to any coverage: (such as adding/deleting dependents, increasing/decreasing hsa contributions, or increasing/decreasing supplemental/voluntary life insurance volumes).

complete the annual enrollment: enroll/change/term form indicating your 2021 changes & submit to HR by 11/2/2020.
if you're adding a spouse to your current medical coverage, you must also complete the spousal evidence of eligibility and affidavit from spouse's employer forms.
if you are currently enrolled in medical coverage and want to change the amount of your hsa contributions, complete the HSA Enrollment & Contribution form.

employees wishing to opt-out of coverage: (such as dropping coverages)

complete the annual enrollment: enroll/change/term form indicating what coverages you are dropping & submit to HR by 11/2/2020.

enrollments, changes, or terminations must be submitted to hr no later than 5:00 pm on monday, november 2nd. all changes to your elections will be in effect until the next annual enrollment period unless you experience a qualifying life event such as a marriage, divorce, birth, loss of other coverage, or significant change in other coverage.